Volume V Part 43 (1/2)
”'Certainly, but in my presence'
”My heart was broken; nevertheless, I had to put a good face on the losing ga him as my dear wife communicated the order which was to part us
”I was afraid he would betray hih to restrain his emotion, and only replied that we ain in a couple of months
”As the captain stood beside us, I could only utter common-places I warned hiot to London, as the first person he o and see at Lisbon, as she would have my address I took care not to ask for ht thatlady whom I had seduced
”We had to abandon ourselves to our destiny We eled our ears, and the captain wept, too, when he heard s to the worthy captain, and let us not fear at all'
”The count's trunk was lowered into the boat, and as I did not dare to takebut a man's clothes, which would not have fitted uise
”When I came to the custom-house I saw my possessions There were books, letters, linen, some suits of clothes, a sword and two pairs of pistols, one pair of which I put in my pockets, and then I went to an inn where the host said that if I wanted to travel to London the nextI should only have to pay for one horse
”'Who are the people,' said I, 'who desire a companion?
”'You shall sup with them if you like,' said he
”I accepted the offer, and found the party consisted of a ion and two ladies whose faces pleased races, and early the next day we got to London and alighted in the Strand at an inn where I only dined, going out to seek a lodging appropriate to my means and the kind of life I wished to lead
Fifty Lisbon pieces and a ring of about the same value was all that I possessed in the world
”I took a roo attracted by the honest and kindly expression of the landlady I could only trust in God and confide s a week, and begged her to get o out in er
”The next day I was clothed like a poor girl who desires to escape notice I spoke English well enough to seem a native of the country, and I kne I h the landlady was a worthy woland ht be protracted, and if I came to destitution I should be wretched indeed; so I resolved to leave the house I received no visitors, but I could not prevent the inquisitive fro round my door, and the more it became known that I saw no one, the h It was near the Exchange, and the neighborhood swar men who came to dine on the first floor of the house, and did their best to cure h I had not shewn any signs of wishi+ng to be cured
”I uinea a week, and resolved to sellif I could have the ed next door, and for whose honesty my landlady answered, told uineas, and asked me to let hiht it to be so valuable, and I sold it to hiuineas a month, and that I should be at liberty to buy it back if I could do so before all the payments had been made
”I wanted to keep my ready o back to Lisbon by land when I can do so in safety, for I could not face the horrors of a sea voyage a second time
”I told my case to my worthy landlady who still befriends , but I had to procure a servant to fetch e to have my meals in a coffee-house However, all my servants turned out ill; they robbed me continually, and levied a tax on all their purchases
”The temperance I observed--for I alet thinner every day, still I saay of ular announcehed at it; and then drawn by some irresistible power, or perhaps by the curiosity that falls to the lot ofto you Instinct thus pointed out the way to i ot back I found a copy of the Advertiser on my landlady's table; it contained some editorial fun on the notice I had just read
The writer said that theto fear from fe, but I feel I have been too hasty, and that there are certain attacks which it is pleasant not to resist I was brought up by an Italian, a clever and good reat respect for your fellow-countryuese had finished her story, and I observed,--
”Really, your history has amused me very much; it has all the air of a romance”
”Quite so,” said she; ”but it is a strictly historical ro to me is that you have listened to it without weariness”
”That is your modesty, madam; not only, has your tale interested uese I am at peace with the nation”